University wins funding for postgraduate places

The University of Wolverhampton has won funding to provide dozens of postgraduate bursaries for students.

The institution was picked by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to share in a £25 million programme to support and improve participation in postgraduate study across the country.

As a result, 40 bursaries will be made available at the University, for students to study postgraduate courses in science, technology, engineering and mathematic (STEM) subjects.

The courses are set to begin at the start of the 2014/15 academic year, but details on applying for the bursaries are yet to be finalised by the University.

The University was one of nine partner institutions in its bid, which was a collaborative effort led by Kingston University, London. It was one of 20 such successful bids across the country.

In total, the HEFCE scheme aims to provide work placements and financial and pastoral support to more than 2,800 students across England.

It hopes to encourage students to continue on to postgraduate study in STEM subjects, and then track how they fare after graduation. The expectations and attitudes of students, universities and employers towards postgraduate programmes taught in these subject areas will be studied as part of the project.

Professor Robert Newman, Associate Dean at the University of Wolverhampton’s Faculty of Science and Engineering, said the news was very welcome.

He said: “The idea of this project is to really look at how important postgraduate learning is in the country and to look at how further education in STEM subjects could boost the economy with the introduction of more highly skilled workers into local industry.

“We are proud to be able to offer students these opportunities and we want to encourage a diverse range of people to take up these places.”

ENDS

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